Stand-up Dissidence: Comedy as Resistance on Russian YouTube
2025 Chamberlain Lecture
Monday, March 17, 2025 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Merten Hall, 1201
Dissidence in Soviet Russia was an act of courage, but the potential of stand-up comedy acts to be an act of dissidence has first been fully realized in Putin-era Russia, especially in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The internet - and particularly YouTube - has been the indispensable space for these dissident acts, enabling live comedic performances to reach broader audiences. This talk will explore the intersection of dissidence, digital culture, and stand-up Russophone comedy, and the ability of comedy and new media to expand the possibilities for the performance of dissidence.
Lynn Ellen Patyk is a Professor of East European, Eurasian, and Russian Studies at Dartmouth College. She writes on Russian literary and cultural history, political violence and communication, comedy, and the Internet.
The Chamberlain Lecture, held annually, honors former Modern and Classical Languages Chair Jeffery T. Chamberlain.
